Had it all been a lie?
by Ms Puddle
Summary: What was in Peeta's head after realizing that how Katniss had acted all this time was for the Games?
1. The Cave

**Had it all been a lie?**

**by Ms Puddleglum**

**Disclaimer:** The Hunger Games and all characters belong to the brilliant author Suzanne Collins, movie production by Lionsgate (US).

**Introduction:** I started reading "The Hunger Games" in August 2012, and the story was so engaging that I had hard time putting the book down. Before reading the second book in the trilogy, I had this story in my mind already. After reading all three books, I still couldn't get rid of this story in my head, so I decided to write this down just because I love the star-crossed lovers, Peeta and Katniss, and I would like to share this short story with other fans who love Peeta.

Note that I haven't read any other Hunger Games fan-fictions (there are so many out there), so if you see my plot similar to any of the existing ones, it's entirely a coincidence. Great minds think alike after all!

Please bear in mind English is not my mother tongue, and I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing!

-Ms Puddleglum

**Chapter 1: The Cave**

I had rather die than to know the painful truth...

Yes, I should have died in the arena... back near the stream waiting for my imminent death... when I was in pain and highly feverish.

At least back then I was glad that I had done one thing I had wanted to do from the beginning. I had done my best to protect Katniss from the Careers... at least once.

But then she appeared out of nowhere, searching for me. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard her hushed voice, calling my name over and over.

How many times had I dreamed of her in my slumber? This couldn't be true, but I managed to joke, "You're here to finish me off, sweetheart?"

When she found me, she was clearly relieved and even... happy. She said firmly, "You're not going to die."

I was very touched by her kind words. I knew better than anyone else that my days were numbered. I hadn't eaten for days, nor did I have any appetite. It was just a matter of time, but I was more than grateful I could hear her voice and see her face again before my death.

So I attempted another joke. "Remember, we're madly in love, so it's all right to kiss me anytime you feel like it."

Her reaction confounded me. Instead of getting annoyed, she laughed at my bantering remark. I couldn't help thinking something in her had changed. But what exactly, I couldn't quite place it.

As always, once she had determined to do something, she wouldn't back out easily. She said we were on the same team now. Well... did I care about continuing the Games? Not really... my body had failed me, and I felt pain everywhere. But Katniss was here right beside me, even attending my wounds and washing the dirts off me.

She couldn't possibly know that this was in fact the best day in my life yet. Not only she cared for me, she was actually worried about me and wanted to heal me. In particular, Dr. Everdeen had tried her best trying to do something about the deep cut on my left leg.

How many times in the past had I tried to get her attention? To notice my existence when we were schoolmates? She never bothered. In her mind, I was probably just one of the well off kids.

If only I could tell her how much I had loved her ever since I could remember. I had loved no other girls in my life. Only Katniss, the poor girl living in the Seam.

Therefore, to me, my lucky day had come at last. At least I felt pampered by her. She later found a cave for us as our hideout, continuing to nurse me without any reserve. It was obvious that she was trying to act like I would eventually recover, but I had known better.

The cave might as well be my tomb, but before I let out my last breath, I wanted to thank her for all she had done for my sake and to tell her that her kindness far outweighed her temper. As a matter of fact, I was never angry at her outburst at me after the interview on the night before the Games.

That night, she was furious at my 'prank'. I had confessed my love for her to all people in Panem. She thought that I did that to make her look weak.

Yet she didn't know... I had done that mainly for myself. I had never expected myself to survive the Games, so I had merely wanted to let her know the long-buried secret in my heart. That interview had been my last chance in my life, and Haymitch had supported my decision.

After she made me lie down and tuck me into her sleeping bag, I resolved to speak up to express my gratitude. "Katniss," I called her name in a low voice.

She came to me. Her tender fingers brushed my hair back from my eyes. Then I said, "Thanks for finding me."

She murmured something about if I were in her shoes, I would have done the same. Her hand was still on my forehead. My high fever must have worried her, so I told Katniss, "Look, if I don't make it back-"

"Don't talk like that. I didn't drain all that pus for nothing," she said.

"I know. But just in case I don't-" I tried to continue.

"No, Peeta, I don't even want to discuss it." She placed her fingers on my lips.

I insisted, "But I-"

I had never thought that she would stop me from talking by pressing her soft lips to mine!

I was shocked to the core to say the least. Was it an illusion? But it felt real. I was very sick, but I was conscious enough to know that she had kissed me, for the first time!

She broke off the kiss and pulled the edge of the sleeping bag up to my neck. "You're not going to die. I forbid it. All right?"

I almost blurted out, "This isn't something you can control." But instead I whispered, "All right."

After that, I dozed off. Even if I died now, I would have died a happy man.

But she kissed me awake not long after that. I was startled. Yet nothing but joy filled my heart now. I could feel my lips starting to tug into a smile, and I could not take my eyes off her face at all.

So Haymitch just sent me a pot of hot broth, but I didn't feel like eating at all. However, Katniss insisted, and she tried various means to get the broth into my mouth, including kissing me. I had never felt so ecstatic in my life. This was Katniss, the girl who was on fire. But she acted like my lover now just trying to coax me into cooperating.

We later found out the next day that I got blood poisoning. I had been right all along. I was in fact dying, but I felt significantly better now than the days before Katniss had come to find me in the stream.

What did I get now? Clean clothes, medicine and a sleeping bag. Most importantly, I got Katniss with me in the last couple of days of my life. The only girl I had loved.

It was just too bad I didn't get to know her more. So when she asked me what I wanted from her, I said I would like to listen to a story about something happy in her past.

It took her a while to come up with a story about her beloved little sister, Prim. She must have loved Prim so much. After all, Katniss volunteered on behalf of Prim. No one could have loved another one more by giving up her life. Well... I shouldn't have said that. Katniss might be the victor. I wanted her to survive the Games more than anything in the world.

But I had caused her nothing but trouble. I wished I had a way to payback her kindness, and I even considered asking her to leave me alone. But it wouldn't be long now. Probably another two days at most? My death could help her move on. I had confidence that she would walk out the arena alive. She was a natural fighter.

Then there came the announcement of the feast. "...each of you needs something desperately... for some of you, this will be your last chance..."

Immediately, I could tell a plan was forming in Katniss' head. I gripped her shoulder from behind, which made her jump, and seriously urged, "No, you're not risking your life for me."

"Who said I was?"

"So, you're not going?"

"Of course, I'm not going..." she murmured and strived to come up with her reasons to convince me. She was such a bad liar, and I could not let her go. I'd rather die than to let her take risk for me. We reasoned with each other, but I stood my ground, not giving in at all.

"What am I supposed to do? Sit here and watch you die?" she asked at last.

"I won't die. I promise. If you promise not to go."

She saw no point of arguing with me and only requested me to eat her soup that she had prepared. My high body temperature was killing me, and I had hard time swallowing, but I tried my best to show my eagerness, even scraping out the pot to finish her soup.

I would never suspect that she would drug me into sleep later. When I realized her trick, I was already losing consciousness. I was blacked out for more than a day, and when I opened my eyes the next evening, I found Katniss lying next to me in a scary pool of blood. The deep cut she got on her forehead was terrifying.

Whatever she had shot into my arm before her collapse had done the trick. Most of the swelling in my left leg was gone now. I quickly bandaged her head, and the knowledge of all the risks she must have undertaken to rescue my life brought tears to my eyes.

My appetite came back too, and I actually gobbled down the groosling she had offered me in the past, which I had refused before. They were so tasty that I couldn't stop eating, so I knew I was recovering, thanks to Katniss.

The storm out there was pretty bad, and I saw rain drip through the holes in our cave. To avoid Katniss getting wet, I built something like a canopy over her head and upper body. Then I lay down next to her, watching her sleep.

It was so peaceful and quiet. I kept on stroking her cheek and resolved to take care of her until she became better. I had no idea how many more days I could spend with her, but I knew how much she meant to me and that I owed her my life.

When she finally opened her eyes from her sleep, I was so relieved. She was very weak still, but after giving her something to eat and water to drink, she seemed better. Before long, she opened up and told me a lot of things that had happened to her since the beginning of the Games, including the feast she had just gone to. Again and again, she had barely avoided death.

After all she had been through, she finally said, like a small child, "I want to go home, Peeta."

"You will. I promise," I said and bent over to give her a soft kiss. Then she repeated her words, and I knew she must have missed her family. How wonderful it must be to have a loving family. Unlike mine.

She was willing to go back to sleep after that. I didn't know how long our respite could last, but I was content that I had her company in the meantime. Now that I had recovered from my injuries, the feeling that my days were numbered was not as strong as before. Yet one of us could have died next, and it could be me.

If any tribute happened to find us now, they could have killed us without much effort because we were both weak. Perhaps Katniss could use her bow and arrows to defend herself, but what did I get? Nearly nothing to defend myself. However, if any tribute was going to hurt both of us, I had determined to use my own body to shield Katniss from any weapons. My remaining strength would be able to last long enough for her to escape.

Or we could have died of hunger. We were starving, and the next day when we wondered what we should do to get Haymitch to send us some bread, Katniss unexpectedly reached out to take my hand. She mentioned something about the drug Haymitch had sent her to knock me out so that she could attend the feast. This reminded me that I hadn't yet told her my perspective of this whole incident.

"The problem is we're both alive, which only reinforces the idea in your mind that you did the right thing."

"I did do the right thing," she countered.

"No! Just don't, Katniss!" I said angrily, and I couldn't help but tighten my grip on her hand. "Don't die for me. You won't be doing me any favors. All right?"

She appeared startled by my fury, but what she said next puzzled me. "Maybe I did it for myself, Peeta, did you ever think of that? Maybe you aren't the only one who... who worries about... what it would be like if..."

Her sad look spoke much more than her stammering words, and I had simmered down just because of that. What was she trying to say to me?

"If what, Katniss?" I asked patiently, attempting to help her continue.

After a moment of struggle, she said evasively, "That's exactly the kind of topic Haymitch told me to steer clear of."

She was seemingly too bashful to explain further, and I couldn't be more rapturous. Was she fumbling to tell me that she didn't want to lose me?

"Then I'll just have to fill in the blanks myself," I heard myself say this before I moved in to her. I gently pulled her closer and pressed my mouth on hers. I had never kissed anybody like that before, as if this were the only time I could kiss the love of my life. This probably wasn't far from the truth because we couldn't predict how many days we had left.

What surprised me was that she accepted my kiss readily enough, and by the way she kissed me back I was more than certain that she also had strong feelings for me. We kissed passionately like there was no end, until I felt her blood dripping down my face.

So I gave her a light kiss on the tip of her nose and said to her, "I think your wound is bleeding again. Come on, lie down, it's bedtime anyway."

Yet we couldn't both sleep at the same time, and Katniss insisted on taking the first watch. Due to the extreme cold temperature, I urged her to snuggle with me inside the only sleeping bag available. As we settled in, I pulled her head down to use my arm as her pillow. Then I wrapped my other arm around her protectively before I closed my eyes. I didn't drift off right away because my mind was still filled with the sensation of our first real kiss. Yes, my dream had come true. The girl I had loved for so long finally reciprocated my feelings, and she was lying in my arms.

(to be continued...)

=o=o=o=

**Writer's note:**

Thank you for reading. Please note that this was totally my imagination of what went on in Peeta's head near the end of the first book in the trilogy. If you like it, please drop me a few words. Likewise, if you find any mistakes, please let me know too. Any feedback is more than welcome.


	2. The Berries

**Had it all been a lie?**

**by Ms Puddleglum**

**Disclaimer:** The Hunger Games and all characters belong to the brilliant author Suzanne Collins, movie production by Lionsgate (US).

**Note:** Once again this is my imagination of what went on in Peeta's head. If you like it, please write me a review. If you find any mistakes, please don't hesitate to let me know. Any suggestion or feedback is welcome.

-Ms Puddleglum

**Chapter 2: The Berries**

The next morning the deluge went on and on, and we couldn't possibly leave our cave to hunt. The gnawing in our stomach had become painful and unbearable. We both knew Haymitch was our only hope because we believed watching us die of hunger wasn't very exciting for the audience in Panem.

Yet what should we do to get Haymitch to send us food? For me, I was somewhat glad that the respite continued, so we could rest a little more by napping together in the sleeping bag as we were still weak from our injuries. Therefore, nothing happened and the day dragged on eventless.

Then in the evening, Katniss asked me a question out of the blue, "You said at the interview you'd had a crush on me forever. When did forever start?"

This was the question I had been waiting for years! I had always wanted to tell her how she had stolen my heart as a five-year-old child. We had met each other on the first day of school, and my father had pointed her out in the line up, confessing to me that he had wanted to marry this little girl's mother.

Katniss exclaimed in utter disbelief, "What? You're making that up!"

Therefore, I told her everything I knew about her parents based on what my father had said to me. That her beautiful mother had left her well-off family in town to marry her father, a poor coal miner living in the Seam. I quoted my father's remark about her father, "Because when he sings... even the birds stop to listen."

She was stunned and moved. "That's true. They do. I mean, they did." I heard that her father had died years ago from a mining accident. Katniss' mother had become so depressed that young Katniss had had no choice but to take over the responsibility of providing for her family.

When she seemed lost in thoughts, I continued my story about how I had fallen for her. She had volunteered to sing the valley song for the class on the first day of school, and apparently she had inherited the singing talent of her father. "I swear, when you sang, every bird outside the windows fell silent."

"Oh, please," she said, laughing now.

"No, it happened. And right when your song ended, I knew-just like your mother-I was a goner," I said to her. "Then for the next eleven years, I tried to work up the nerve to talk to you."

"Without success," she added.

I nodded and affirmed, "Without success. So, in a way, my name being drawn in the reaping was a real piece of luck."

Though she looked pleased with my story, she soon fell moodily silent for some reason. Moments later, when I thought perhaps I should clarify myself, she spoke up and said haltingly, "You have a... remarkable memory."

Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, I added softly, "I remember everything about you. You're the one who wasn't paying attention."

"I am now," she countered.

Sighing, I remembered her handsome friend back home, Gale Hawthorne. He was two years older than us. Was he her boyfriend? She denied that before, but I doubted it. Anyway, I replied sullenly, "Well, I don't have much competition here."

In fact, who knew what would happen to us in the arena? One of us could die any moment. Relationships back home seemed so meaningless to me for the time being. Did she feel the same? At this point, she looked at me and fumbled to get the words out, "You don't have much competition anywhere."

Her remark shook me off balance, and I could only stare back at her. Unlike me, she wasn't comfortable to express her inner feelings, like last night just before our lingering kiss. So was this her confession? Was she trying to tell me that I was the best thing that ever happened to her? With these questions in my head, she leaned in to kiss me.

Our lips had barely touched when we both heard the clunk outside the cave, which made us jump. Katniss swiftly took her bow and arrows and was ready to attack, but nothing happened. So I peeked through the rocks that blocked the opening of the cave, and I saw something floating in the air. Without any delay, I went out in the rain to grab it and handed it to her. It was a basket attached to a silver parachute. Our rescue had come.

Katniss ripped it open. The basket was full of extravagant food and treats from the Capitol. We couldn't be happier to see this. "I guess Haymitch finally got tired of watching us starve."

She agreed without meeting my eyes, "I guess so."

I swore I could have devoured all these goodies with Katniss in one sitting, but my brain told me otherwise. Reluctantly, I gave her my advice, "We better take it slow on that stew. Remember the first night on the train? The rich food made me sick and I wasn't even starving then."

She concurred in a rueful tone, "You're right. And I could just inhale the whole thing!"

I was glad that we were both sensible still, so we took only small portions of everything for ourselves, savoring each bite using our silverware and plates. Even then, we finished in no time. She stared longingly at the dish and whimpered, "I want more."

She acted just like a little girl, and I had to be the rational one. "Me too. Tell you what. We wait an hour. If it stays down, then we get another serving."

She agreed with me although the aroma of the food in front of us made our mouths water. Needless to say, this hour of waiting would be tough, so I suggested we resume our previous conversation. Deep inside my heart, I wanted to hear her say more about her feelings for me.

So we leaned back against the cave wall, snuggling inside the sleeping bag again. She rested her head on my shoulder like it was very natural to her, and I wrapped my arms around her small frame with glee. Yet I couldn't help but ask myself, _who am I to her now? Does she share the same affections with me?_

I really did not know, but honestly, I had never dreamed that I could cuddle with her in this manner, like a couple in love with each other. When I had told her a short while ago that my name being drawn in the reaping had been a real piece of luck, I had actually meant it with all my heart.

Amidst our silence, she asked, "So, since we were five, you never even noticed any other girls?"

Ah, that came a typical question of a girl for a boy she fancied. Perhaps she wanted to know whether she had my whole heart? I knew this was my chance. "No, I noticed just about every girl, but none of them made a lasting impression but you."

I was happy with my answer to her. It was true, and at the same time she should know that I was serious about her. Then she responded, "I'm sure that would thrill your parents, you liking a girl from the Seam."

"Hardly. But I couldn't care less. Anyway, if we make it back, you won't be a girl from the Seam, you'll be a girl from the Victor's Village."

Then I began to visualize what it would be like when we could both survive the Games. We would be neighbors to each other, but was it possible that we would advance our current relationship?

What she said next snapped me back to the present, "But then, our only neighbor will be Haymitch!" She used the word 'our', which meant that she expected both of us to survive.

"Ah, that'll be nice," I said while I tightened my arms around her, imagining my pleasant future with her already. "You and me and Haymitch. Very cozy. Picnics, birthdays, long winter nights around the fire retelling old Hunger Games tales."

Then we began to joke around at Haymitch's expense and talked about other things. No matter what would happen after the Games, we couldn't deny that Katniss and I had developed a special bond already. Not only we had saved each other's lives in the arena, but we shared lots of intimate moments together. For sure I would never think of her the same again. I had tasted her lips and embraced her to sleep. I was absolutely certain that not even Gale had done the latter before. But what about her? What was she thinking right now, especially about me or our future? Perhaps I was too far ahead? What was the chance that we could both survive?

About half an hour had passed, and Katniss expressed her desire to eat again. I was too hungry myself to argue. While she was dishing up small servings for both of us, we heard the anthem begin to play. It was time for us to know who might have died today, so I pressed my eyes against a crack in the rocks to watch the sky.

When I saw the picture displayed in the sky, I heard her, "There won't be anything to see tonight. Nothing's happened or we would have heard a cannon."

She didn't know. The thunder today could have drowned the cannon. So I said quietly, "Katniss."

She was far more interested in the food than the announcement. Then I informed her of Thresh's death. She was in denial and checked the sky herself. A moment later, she slumped down, seemingly forgetting about the food. From what she had told me earlier about the feast, Thresh had let Katniss go simply because he returned her kindness to Rue, the girl tribute from his district.

"You all right?" I asked her because she looked upset.

She shrugged and cupped her elbows in her hands, hugging them close to her body. Then about a minute later, she said, "It's just... if we didn't win... I wanted Thresh to. Because he let me go. And because of Rue."

"Yeah, I know," I said. "But this means we're one step closer to District Twelve." So I placed a plate of food into her hands and said softly, "Eat. It's still warm."

As we ate, we talked about the other remaining tributes, Cato and Foxface. I really wanted this game to be over, so I said, "Maybe they'll catch each other and we can just go home."

We both agreed that we should be more careful about the watches because both of us had dozed off a few times before while watching. After we had finished our food, I offered to take the first watch because I could tell that Katniss wasn't in the right mood. As before, she burrowed down in the sleeping bag with me as we comforted each other by the warmth of our bodies.

We took turns to watch, and during her shift, the rain had stopped completely. Not long after the sun came out the next morning, she shook my shoulder to wake me up. I just had a sweet dream, in which Katniss and I were married and lived in Victor's Village happily. So when I opened my eyes and saw her face, I pulled her down for a long kiss. At that moment, I didn't really care what she thought. All I knew was I wanted to kiss the girl whom I was madly in love with.

She finally broke away from me and said, "We're wasting hunting time."

I protested, "I wouldn't call it wasting!" I sat up and had a big stretch. Then I said, "So do we hunt on empty stomachs to give us an edge?" I had no clue because I had never hunted before, unlike Katniss.

She disagreed and suggested, "We stuff ourselves to give us staying power." Even then, I was surprised that she urged both of us to eat the rest of the food. She explained, "We'll earn it back today." She sounded very confident, so we plowed into our plates more than willingly.

Was it because of the dream I had or was it because I had a full belly? I was in such a great mood that I made fun by licking my plate clean with my tongue making loud, satisfied sounds to poke fun at Effie, who must be watching us on TV now. I could practically envision how she would shudder at our uncivilized manners. Anyway, what I did made Katniss laugh. She covered my mouth with her hand and urged, "Stop! Cato could be right outside our cave."

I grabbed her hand away from my mouth and responded cheerfully, "What do I care? I've got you to protect me now." Having said that, I pulled her close to me and got another kiss from her.

Once we had packed up and went outside the cave, our mood shifted to serious. Our respite was finally over, and we were back to the Games, which meant that Cato could show up any minute. Katniss had her bow and arrows ready, and she gave me her knife since I had no weapon with me. Once I secured that knife into my belt, we were ready to hunt for food ourselves.

Katniss was way more experienced in this matter, and I just had to follow her orders, but before long she complained that I made too much noise while walking with my bad leg. Yet after taking off our boots and walking for a few hours to reach her old camp, we had shot nothing. I could sense that she was getting exasperated, and I was positive that she could have done a lot better without me. I must be the one to blame.

Therefore, I offered, "Katniss, we need to split up. I know I'm chasing away the game."

After some discussions back and forth, we concluded that I would gather roots and plants that were edible while she went hunting for games. She promised me not to go too far away from me, and even taught me a two-note bird whistle. We would whistle periodically to each other so that we would know that we were all right.

Not long after I had gathered some berries on a sheet of plastic, I heard her voice from a distance, calling my name in panic. When I appeared to her from behind a bush, she almost shot an arrow through me, which made me jump and fling a handful of berries into the foliage.

Her face was smoldered with anger. "What are you doing? You're supposed to be here, not running around in the woods!"

What was the matter with her? Yet I managed to say, "I found some berries down by the stream."

"I whistled. Why didn't you whistle back?" she snapped, still furious.

Then I perceived she had been worried about my safety. "I didn't hear you. The water's too loud I guess." I approached her and put my hands on her shoulders. She was actually trembling, which made me astounded.

"I thought Cato killed you!" she retorted in a loud voice. No words could describe how her outburst touched my heart at present. I understood she had to vent her anxiety and fear somehow, so I attempted to console her by wrapping my arms around her and said to her reassuringly, "No. I'm fine."

But she didn't respond to my embrace. I called her name softly, "Katniss?"

She pushed me away, avoiding direct eye contact with me. "If two people agree on a signal, they stay in range. Because if one of them doesn't answer, they're in trouble, all right?"

I agreed with her at once, smiling, "All right!"

"All right," she sighed and added. "Because that's what happened with Rue, and I watched her die."

The fact that she was cross at me for missing her signal just now evoked tenderness in me. Once again, it was evident that she had feelings for me, and the thought that she had lost me forever, like the way she had lost Rue, had caused her to return in panic.

Thus, as she walked away from me to check our food supplies, I gave her time to simmer down. However, much to my shock, she blamed me for eating without her.

"What? No, I didn't," I said. I must say this time she really acted strange.

"Oh, and I suppose the apples ate the cheese," she answered, sarcasm was clear in her voice.

I suppressed my urge to roll my eyes or lose my temper, so I defended myself slowly and distinctly, "I don't know what ate the cheese, but it wasn't me. I've been down by the stream collecting berries. Would you care for some?"

With my attempt to appease her, she appeared skeptical and examined the berries I had collected by carefully rolling them between her fingers.

Just then, the cannon fired, and when I was wondering who had just lost his or her life, she whipped around and stared at me with wide eyes. While I raised my eyebrows at her odd behavior, the hovercraft showed up a hundred yards or so away. We both saw Foxface's body being lifted up in the air.

The first thought that flashed across my mind was Cato had just killed Foxface, which meant that he was in our proximity. So I immediately pushed Katniss toward a tree and urged, "Climb. He'll be here in a second. We'll stand a better chance fighting him from above."

Yet she stopped me, astonishingly calm now. "No, Peeta, she's your kill, not Cato's."

"What? I haven't even seen her since the first day," I countered, totally confounded. "How could I have killed her?"

She showed me the berries in her hand, the ones I had collected by the stream. Thank God she had recognized them as deadly poisonous berries called nightlock. Otherwise, we could have eaten them and died like Foxface, who had stolen the berries from my pile while I was away.

"I'm sorry, Katniss. I really thought they were the same ones you had gathered before," I said to her regretfully.

"Don't apologize. It just means we're one step closer to home, right?" she asked, getting more optimistic than ever.

She was right. Only one tribute left, Cato. Gathering up the sheet of blue plastic to trap the berries inside, I said, "I will get rid of the rest."

However, when I was about to toss them into the woods, she stopped me, "Wait!"

I had no clue what she had in mind when she pulled out a leather pouch from her bag and filled it with a few handfuls of berries. Then she explained, "If they fooled Foxface, maybe they can fool Cato as well. If he's chasing us or something, we can act like we accidentally drop the pouch and if he eats them-"

I interrupted her joyously, "Then hello District Twelve!"

She was so smart, and when I saw her secure the pouch to her belt, I just couldn't wait for that day to come when we could both go back home, safe and sound.

(to be continued...)

=o=o=o=

**Writer's note:**

Thank you for reading. I hope you have enjoyed my interpretation of this story from Peeta's perspective.


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